Kevin Hunt: New Whirlpool Washer Is Eating My Clothes! Help!

Ramila Patel-King hit the right combination of size and space savings when she bought a stackable Whirlpool front-loading washer and dryer last December.

Patel-King, a West Hartford resident, gave up on traditional top-load washers because they were so wide for her space that they wouldn't fit unless she removed her utility room's door frame. And Patel-King, who describes herself as "barely 5 feet," liked that the Whirlpool set was the shortest available for the capacity she wanted. She didn't need a stool to unload the dryer.

Soon after the washer-dryer set was delivered by S.K. Lavery Appliance Co. of West Hartford, however, she started questioning the purchase.

"I now have worn-out, threadbare clothes, with holes," she said when she finally contacted The Bottom Line in late June. "Some tore and I threw them out. I am doing delicate cycle for all my wash now and my laundry is not clean. And the dryer is over-drying my clothes."

Patel-King, a molecular biologist at the UConn Health Center, says S.K. Lavery sent a technician who ordered a sensor for the dryer but dismissed the washer’s problems.

"The service guy didn't want to look at my sampling of clothes, didn't want to listen to me," she says. "No, he had not heard of clothes with holes or worn out. No, he didn't like that I Googled the problem."

An Internet search reveals similar problems with the Whirlpool Duet washer, such as this posting at Fixya.com: "My Whirlpool Duet washer keeps randomly eating my clothes. Sometimes clothing gets caught between the edge of the drum and the rubber seal and tears, pulls and chews the clothing. It just ruined a brand-new, expensive dress and I'm very frustrated."

The technician later said the washer needed a new glass door fixture.

"After he left," says Patel-King, I tried to feel the inside of the gasket area but there was nothing sharp. Then I ran my hand over the drum and it felt sharp from the holes. No wonder my clothes looked like they went through a sander."

Bruce MacMillian, S.K. Lavery's general manager, says the store was unaware of a chronic problem with the Duets either through customer complaints or from Whirlpool.

"They change those [models] so often that for us to know that they changed it because of a problem we'd probably be the last ones to know," says MacMillian. "There was never any directive handed down to tell us there was a problem."

Patel-King bypassed S.K. Lavery and went directly to Whirlpool, which she says refused to compensate her for the damaged clothing and would not guarantee a repair.

"I told them I am not prepared to spend more money on clothes and from now on I am doing my laundry outside or hand-washing," she says.

Patel-King feared the stalemate would outlast her warranty coverage.

"They won't even acknowledge the fact their machines ruin clothes and make holes," she says. "Basically, I have no time for this and will be buying a new washer-dryer and will probably have to have the space redone fit the new set [at additional expense]. We are at an impasse."

When she contacted TBL, Patel-King was using the washer-dryer only for sport towels, which, she says were beyond saving. She was either using a Laundromat or bringing dirty laundry to a friend's house. TBL then contacted Whirlpool.

Several days later, S.K. Lavery brought over a dryer sensor. The washer's glass door fixture was also replaced. Whirlpool then tried to replace the washer basket but after Patel-King determined it was just as rough-edged as the original, she declined to have it installed.

It was now early August, the Whirlpool Duet set transported to the garage and Patel-King was looking for a new washer-dryer. She was done with Whirlpool, even after it offered her a new washer with a different drum. (As Patel-King discovered, the models she bought were made in Germany and have since been discontinued.)

"My washer saga has to end soon," she says.

Patel-King says she wouldn't even attempt to sell the Whirlpool Duet set because she didn't want to spoil anyone's clothes.

"I would donate them for cleaning rags, or nothing too important," she says.

Whirlpool did not respond to questions about the Duet models, but it did respond to a request to review Patel-King's case. In mid-August, after Patel-King declined a replacement, Whirlpool offered to buy back her washer-dryer. All she had to do was fax a copy of the original receipt. Done!

"I am going out to buy my new washer-dryer!" Patel-King said that day.

By the end of August, Patel-King had a new LG washer-dryer from Holloways Appliance Center in Simsbury. Even though she had to hire someone to adjust the dryer-vent hole and now needs a stepstool to reach the dryer controls, she no longer fears doing a wash load in her home.

The last time she saw the Whirlpool Duets, Sept. 10, a delivery service was hauling them away. It left a check for $1,592.77, courtesy of Whirlpool.